“John Wick” director David Leitch and Chad Stahelski are in early talks to co-direct Chris Pratt’s action movie “Cowboy Ninja Viking” for Universal Pictures, an individual familiar with the project has told TheWrap.
Based on a graphic novel written by A.J. Lieberman and drawn by Riley Rossmo, the film will star “Guardians of the Galaxy” hero Pratt as a man who suffers from multiple personality disorder and enters a government program to become a super-soldier with the attributes of a cowboy, a ninja and a viking.
Mark Gordon, Guymon Casady and Ben Forkner are producing the movie, which is a co-production between the Mark Gordon Company and Film 360.
Stahelski worked with Leitch on Lionsgate’s Keanu Reeves movie “John Wick,” though Leitch did not receive a co-directing credit. Still, the low-budget action movie grossed $76 million worldwide, putting the former second unit directors on the map as far as studio action projects are concerned.
Universal is trying to move quickly on “Cowboy Ninja Viking,” as Pratt’s schedule is filling up quickly between Antoine Fuqua‘s “Magnificent Seven” remake the Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” sequel.
“Cowboy Ninja Viking” has been a passion project for Pratt, who recently met with Stahelski and Leitch and gave the studio his stamp of approval. The co-directors are repped by WME.
The news was first reported by Variety.